Rooftops
by The Wicked Witch of Dingl
Summary: Songfic. Lee and Bryan have a little hearttoheart and we learn Kai's favourite excuse... Poor Tala!


Rooftops

_I am disappointed at the lack of Lee fics on this site… so I decided to write one, the way I know best… in a songfic! I would have done it to a Stone Sour song, but I am obsessed with this song (don't know why, because I'm not a big fan of lostprophets) and thought it might work with Lee… here goes! Oh yes, and this will be a prequel to one of the stories in the Phantom series… or I could mean The Winterblock Series, sister-sequel to the Phantom series… hey, I don't make much sense anyway! And PLEASE read POTO before you read this! It's got a couple of spoilers! _

**Rooftops**

_When our time is up,  
When our lives are done,  
Will we say we've had our fun  
Will we make a mark this time  
Will we always say we tried_

It was all his fault. He lost to Tala. If he had won… he would have gone up against Kai and subsequently lost. Oh no, Lee Laan was not stupid. Lee Laan was no fool. Just, simply, unlucky. And depressed.

He would drown his sorrows in alcohol and other intoxicating liquid, but (a) he didn't know where to get it (b) he was underage and (c) he was allergic to brewer's yeast anyway. And precisely what Ray would say if he saw his team captain drunk… didn't bear thinking about.

Lee slammed a fist into the table, shaking with suppressed anger. He could have won. He should have won. But no, he was a idiot.

He grabbed his coat and headed out.

_Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out  
This is all we got now everybody scream your heart out._

A quick jump and he was up onto the roof of the reinstated BBA building. Lee barely winced as his hands scrabbled on the bricks, calloused palms catching. Suddenly, a pale hand shot out and grabbed him.

"And here was me thinking Kai and I were the only ones that came up here." A familiar voice chuckled. Lee bristled. He knew that voice.

"What do you want, Bryan?" He snapped. The said Russian raised his palms in 'surrender' position.

"Hey, I was here first." At the glare on Lee's face, the open smile Bryan had been wearing dropped and he turned into the Bryan of old, arms folded, eyes embittered.

_All the love I've made  
I have no regrets  
If it all ends now  
I'm sad_

"Why are you here anyway?" Bryan's voice was harsh.

"I – I… I don't think I want to beyblade anymore. But I can't go back to the village, I – I disgraced them…" To his horror, Lee realised his eyes were brimming with tears.

"How did you disgrace them?" Bryan sat down, crossed legged and motioned for Lee to do the same. Lee sat down in the lotus position and steadied his breathing.

"I – I… I lost. To Tala. So easily. So bloody easily…" He held a hand to his forehead and started sobbing, unashamedly, yet aware of the Russian's inquisitive glare. "So – bloody – easily…" Bryan's hand was on his back, rubbing it gently, unsurely.

"It wasn't easily. If that makes you feel better. You burnt Tala out. He didn't show it in the match, but he collapsed in the tunnel afterwards." Lee looked up to the silver eyes of the older Russian.

"I don't believe you." Lee replied accusingly, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"I'm serious. It was really scary." Bryan looked out over Japan. "He couldn't remember who we were. He couldn't remember why we were there… He couldn't even remember what Wolborg was."

"You're lying. You have to be lying. I – I did not do that!" Bryan's mouth was taunt as he looked at the neko-jin.

"It's infuriating, that somebody who's been trained to inflict that sort of pain on another ends up meting out more pain on himself, yet somebody who's learnt nothing of it can bring it out unwittingly."

"Who – What -" Lee looked up at the older boy. "You!"

"Well done." Bryan's mouth twitched.

_Will we make a mark this time?  
Will we always say we've tried?_

"You… you…" Lee was lost for words. He staggered up, staggered away from the moonlit haired Russian.

"Lost for words? Let me think…" Bryan placed a finger on his lips. "How about 'Freak' or 'Psycho'?" Bryan gulped. "Or do you want to go for classics? 'Boy' or 'Slut' or 'Whore'?" It was Bryan's turn to start crying. Lee took a step forward and Bryan scrambled backwards.

"Bryan!" Lee yelled as he fell over the edge.

_Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
This is all we got now everybody scream your heart out._

Lee clambered to the edge. Bryan was clinging on with one hand and, even as the neko-jin grabbed his other, he knew he wasn't going to make it. Sure, Lee could prevent Bryan from falling off the edge, but he couldn't even try to life the elder boy. He was strong and heavily muscled, not to mention at least 5"11 and the younger boy, though strong and muscled, was no match.

"HELP!" Lee screamed. "Somebody help us!"

"Lee…" Bryan gasped. "I'm scared… Lee… I'm scared!" He was choking out the words, until they reached a crescendo. "I'M SCARED!"

"Shh…" Lee soothed. And then, remembering Bryan's love of music, he began to sing, waveringly, a tune that he'd heard recently, a snatch from the radio, that he thought Bryan might like.

_Standing on the rooftops waiting till the bomb drops this is all we got now scream until your heart stops were never going to regret watching every sunset we'll listen to your heart beat all of the love that we found._

Lee tightened his grip on Bryan's arm.

"Hold on!" He said through gritted teeth. "Someone will come! Someone has to come!"

_Standing on the rooftops waiting till the bomb drops this is all we got now scream until your heart stops were never going to regret watching every sunset we'll listen to your heart beat all of the love that we found._

"Hold onto him. I'm going to pull you up." A soft voice whispered in his ear. Lee daren't look around, even though he recognised the voice. Because that voice could either belong to someone evil, or someone angelic. At the touch around Lee's abdomen, the neko-jin realised that it was the gentle man that had saved him before. The arms tightened around his waist and the quiet man behind pulled them both up, showing remarkable strength for the tiny stature of five foot seven.

"Seth!" Bryan flew into the arms of the smaller man, almost knocking him flying. The younger Russian buried his head in Seth's shoulder, shoulders shaking. Seth frowned.

"What happened?" he mouthed over the top of Bryan's head. Lee rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Seth was fiercely protective over 'his boys', namely Kai, Bryan, Tala, Ian and Spencer.

"We had a bit of a fight…" Lee trailed off, waiting for the ever present cane to come down upon his head.

"It was my fault." Bryan mumbled, raising his head and knocking into Seth's chin. The Phantom winced and rubbed it, before carefully sitting down. Bryan curled up into him, and Seth motioned for the neko-jin sit down. "I… I was asking for it." Bryan admitted. "And he did hang onto me when he could have run."

"Any decent person would have done the same." Lee overruled. "Well… maybe not Ray." He added as an afterthought.

"I – I'm sorry Seth… I meant to ask him, but… he won't want to go now…" Bryan looked guiltily at the thirty year old. Seth rubbed his smooth chin again and sighed.

"No matter Bryan. We'll find someone else…" Seth's eyes narrowed in thought.

_Scream your heart out.  
Scream your heart out.  
Scream your heart out.  
Scream your_

"What? What are you talking about?" Lee looked from one Russian to another.

"Nothing." They said in unison. Seth rubbed the bridge of his nose and Bryan fiddled with one of his front bangs.

"Tell me!" Lee whined, sticking his tongue between his fangs.

"Well… Have you ever heard of Winterblock?" Seth began cautiously.

"As in… the school in Russia?"

"Yes." Seth rubbed his nose harder. "Well… The Ugly Gang," From Bryan's expression, Lee guessed that was referring to The Blitzkrieg Boys. "Have gifted and talented scholarships there. They've been there for what, two years?" Bryan nodded.

"Well, there's a type of scholarship called an 'Abbey' scholarship. Basically, Boris pays cut price prices and Winterblock get top bladers, which is what they want. There are only a few. There's one in Kai's class."

"Most of the Abbey kids are like little Bryan-" Bryan snarled at the nickname "-and merely misunderstood, or they need a worse psycho to talk to them. You don't get any worse than me, trust me on that. But the kid in Kai's class is different. Alyosha 'Boric' Enderwood is different."

"He's a crap blader! After one year at the Abbey Ian could beat him! And he's supposed to be in a higher class!" Bryan burst out, standing up and swinging his fists.

"Sit down Bryan." Bryan ignored the softly spoken command. Seth's eyes flashed. "SIT DOWN!" the two younger boys flinched at the tone in Seth's voice. "Boric was merely put in the class to make Kai's life hell. In his class, there is only one person he really trusts, and that's Suzy McGregor. And you can imagine what Boric thinks of that."

"What's this got to do with me?" Lee asked in confusion.

"Kai doesn't show it, but things affect him really easily. He's like me, that's how I know. Every insult he's been called, he stores up. Thank god he doesn't go to the next stage. He just mentally abuses himself. I used to physically abuse myself with lighters. Stood in front of a servant girl and screamed, flicking it over my fingers. And she only called me sir." Seth looked out into the distance, before snapping back to reality. "Anyway… you're a blader, I assume. You can sing decently, and I have the strangest feeling you can act. What I'm trying to say is… do you want a scholarship to Winterblock, all expenses paid?"

"What's the catch?" Lee narrowed his eyes.

"You have to be friends with Kai."

_Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
Standing on the rooftops everybody scream your heart out.  
This is all we got now everybody scream your..._

"Lee? Where have you been?" Lee rolled his eyes and stuffed another shirt into his suitcase. "LEE! Don't ignore me!" Ray yelled, grabbing his shoulder. Suddenly, a ringing sound penetrated the pained silence.

"'Ello?" Lee swooped down on the mobile which had been hidden in his bedding roll. "Hey Bryan." Ray froze angrily. "You know what… I think I may have to call you back… And tell Kai to put down the knife!" Chuckling slightly, he put the phone down.

"Where did you get a phone from, Lee? _And why were you talking to Bryan on it?_"

"I got that phone from a friend. Fifteen years of birthday presents going cheap. And I was talking to Bryan on it because… oh hang it all!" Lee swore under his breath. "I'm going to the same school as the guy, ok? Psychos United."

"Actually, there are some of _us_ that are normal… not including Bryan and Dad." A familiar voice admitted. "He told you about the lighter?" Lee nodded as he sat on his suitcase.

"Kai?" Ray gaped. None of the former Bladebreakers had seen the bluenette after the end of BEGA. Kai nodded sharply at his former team-mate, then addressed his next question to Lee.

"Dad tell you that you need to know four languages at least? And I hope you can read English, otherwise you are going to get one hell of a ragging." Kai smirked and ran a hand through his messy hair. "And I bet he didn't tell you the immortal excuse that always works when you don't have your homework!"

"You must use that one… oh, everyday. The teachers must think there's something wrong with Tala by now… Either that or Genius House has a serious lack of toilets."

"Why, what's this amazing excuse?" Lee looked between Kai and Bryan.

"Tala shat on it." Kai said through twitching lips. "He doesn't like me using it. I wonder why…"

"Hmm… I wonder…" Bryan rolled his eyes and slammed Lee's suitcase shut. "You're going to have some fun in Drama, I'll tell you that."

Suddenly, a song drifted into the four teenager's ears.

"_WE ARE THE WINNERS… OF EUROVISION… WE ARE THE WINNERS… OF EUROVISION… WE ARE, WE ARE!"_

_-_

_Well? You likey? _

_Couple of things: - The 'Tala shat on it' line is © Catman… we actually use it at school! _

_You'll find out more about Seth later… _

_The Annoying Eurovision song was actually Lithuania's entry to Eurovision… look it up on Google video, it's a pain._

_R&R!_


End file.
